System for exchanging media content between a media content processor and a communication device

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media content processor having a controller adapted to detect an event associated with recorded media content derived from one among a plurality of media content sources, select a communication device of a subscriber of the media content processor, retrieve a portion of the recorded media content, generate a notice describing the event, and transmit the notice with the portion of the recorded media content to the communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/851,564 filed Sep. 7, 2007 by White et al., entitled “System forExchanging Media Content Between a Media Content Processor and aCommunication Device.” All sections of the aforementioned applicationare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to media content exchangetechniques and more specifically to a system for exchanging mediacontent between a media content processor and a communication device.

BACKGROUND

Media content processors such as Set-Top Box (STB) receivers haveevolved in sophistication thereby offering subscribers a number ofservices such as high definition TV decoding, media content recordingwith a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) service managed thereby, storage ofsubscriber content (music, home videos, pictures), downloading of mediacontent from on-demand catalogs, and so on. Such devices also have anincreased memory capacity for storing large volumes of personal andcommercial media content. Making this stored content available to amultiplicity of other devices, and expanding the media contentprocessor's ability to receive media content from a broader source ofdevices can be cumbersome.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication system;

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a portal of the communicationsystem;

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary block diagram of a communication of thecommunication system;

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary method operating in portions of thecommunication system;

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a graphical user interfaceresulting from an application of the method of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 depicts another exemplary method operating in portions of thecommunication system; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storagemedium operating in a media content processor can have computerinstructions for presenting at a media device images associated with amedia program decoded from a media content source, receiving from acommunication device a request to establish communications with themedia content processor, establishing communications with thecommunication device responsive to the request, receiving from thecommunication device streamed media content, presenting at the mediadevice a Graphical User Interface (GUI) superimposed on the imagesassociated with the decoded media program, and presenting the streamedmedia content in the GUI.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a media content processorcan have a controller adapted to detect an event associated withrecorded media content derived from one among a plurality of mediacontent sources, select a communication device of a subscriber of themedia content processor, retrieve a portion of the recorded mediacontent, generate a notice describing the event, and transmit the noticewith the portion of the recorded media content to the communicationdevice.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a portable communicationdevice can have a controller adapted to record media content from asensor, establish communications with a media content processor, andtransmit to the media content processor the recorded media content asstreamed media content which the media content processor presents at amedia device.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication system 100.The communication system 100 can represent an IPTV broadcast mediasystem. In a typical IPTV infrastructure, there is at least one superhead office server (SHS) which receives national media programs fromsatellite and/or media servers from service providers of multimediabroadcast channels. In the present context, media programs can representaudio only content, video only content, and combinations thereof. TheSHS server forwards IP packets associated with the media content tovideo head servers (VHS) via a network of video head offices (VHO)according to a common multicast communication method.

The VHS then distributes multimedia broadcast programs to commercialand/or residential buildings 102 housing a gateway 104 (e.g., aresidential gateway or RG). The gateway 104 distributes broadcastsignals to media content processors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs)which in turn present broadcast selections to media devices 108 such ascomputers or television units managed in some instances by a mediacontroller 107 (e.g., an infrared or RF remote control). Unicast trafficcan also be exchanged between the media content processors 106 andsubsystems of the IPTV media system for services such as video-on-demand(VoD).

The IPTV media system can be coupled to one or more computing devices130 that can operate as a web or Internet server for providing portalservices over an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 132 to fixedmedia devices 108 or portable communication devices 116 by way of awireless base station 117 such as in a cellular communication networkoperating with common protocols (GSM, CDMA, UMTS, software definedradio, WiMAX, etc.).

The computing devices 130 can also include a common presence system formonitoring activities and whereabouts of subscribers of thecommunication system 100. The presence system can for example detectthat the subscriber is in transit with a portable communication device116 by detecting a handover transition between base stations 117 and/orby receiving location coordinates from the portable communication deviceusing a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver incorporated therein.The presence system can also detect that the subscriber is utilizing acommunication device 108 in building 102 based on network activityemanating from said communication device or consumed thereby.

A satellite broadcast system can be used in place of the IPTV mediasystem. In this embodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115 canbe intercepted by a satellite dish receiver 131 coupled to building 102which conveys satellite media signals to the media content processors106 by way of gateway 104. Alternatively, the satellite signals can bereceived and processed by the media content processor 106 over asatellite port of the media content processor coupled to the satellitedish receiver 131. The media content processors 106 can also be equippedwith a broadband port that couples to the ISP network 132 for generalbroadband access.

Although not shown, the communication system 100 can also be combined orreplaced with analog or digital broadcast distributions systems such ascable TV systems. It would be apparent therefore to one of ordinaryskill in the art that the present disclosure can be applied to any mediacontent system.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a portal 230 of thecommunication system 100. In FIG. 2, the portal 230 can be accessed by aURL with a common browser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer using anInternet-capable fixed or portable communication device 108, 116. Theportal 230 can be configured to access a media content processor 106such as the STB of FIG. 1 and services managed thereby such as a DigitalVideo Recorder (DVR), an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), Video onDemand (VoD) catalog, a personal catalog stored in the STB (e.g.,personal videos, pictures, audio recordings, etc.), and so on by way ofthe gateway 104. The portal 230 can direct the media content processor106 to stream media content to a fixed or portable communication device108, 116 accessing the portal.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the communication device 108or 116 of the communication system 100. The communication device 108,116can comprise a wireless transceiver 302, a user interface (UI) 304, apower supply 314, a camera sensor 316, a location receiver 318, and acontroller 306 for managing operations thereof. The wireless transceiver302 utilizes common communication technology supporting common wirelessaccess technologies (i.e., cellular, software defined radio, WiMAX,Bluetooth, WiFi, and so on). The UI 304 can include a depressible ortouch sensitive keypad 308 for manipulating operations of thecommunication device 108, 116. The UI 304 can further include a display310 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) forconveying images to the end user of the communication device 108, 116.

The audio system 312 of the UI 304 utilizes common audio technology forconveying and receiving audible signals of an end user and of thesurrounding environment. Audio recordings can be stored as media contentin common formats (e.g., MPEG3). The camera 316 utilizing common imagesensing technology (such as a charge coupled device sensor) can beutilized for recording still and moving images (with or without audio)in common formats (MPEG4, JPEG, GIF, etc.). The location receiver 318can utilize common location sensing technology such as a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receiver for determining a location fix of thecommunication device 108, 116 using signals from a constellation of GPSsatellites.

The power supply 314 can utilize common power management technologies(such as replaceable batteries, supply regulation technologies, andcharging system technologies) for supplying energy to the components ofthe portable communication device 116 to facilitate portableapplications. The controller 306 can utilize computing technologies suchas a microprocessor and/or digital signal processor (DSP) withassociated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or otherlike technologies.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary method 400 operating in portions of thecommunication system 100. Method 400 begins with step 402 in which amedia content processor (MCP) 106 presents images at a media device suchas reference 108. The images can be associated with a decoded mediaprogram supplied by an IPTV, satellite TV, or cable TV communicationsystem. The media program can represent audio content, video content orcombinations thereof. While the MCP 106 is presenting still or movingimages at the media device, it can monitor in step 408 for incomingcommunication requests from a portable communication device (PCD) 116.

In step 404 a PCD 116 can record media content with the aforementionedaudio system 312 and/or camera sensor 316. The recorded media contentcan be audio-only content (by way of a microphone portion of the audiosystem 312), video-only content (by way of the camera sensor 316),and/or video with audio content in which case both the audio system 312and the camera 316 are utilized. In step 406 the PCD 116 can establishcommunications with the MCP 106 in several ways. For example the PCD 116can establish communications with the MCP 106 by way of portal 230.Alternatively, the PCD 116 can establish direct communications with theMCP 106 over the ISP network 132 over a virtual private network (VPN)connection or some other suitable means.

Once the MCP 106 detects a communication request in step 408 it acceptsit in step 410 once valid credentials have been supplied (e.g., login,password). The PCD 116 can then transcode the recorded media content andtransmit it to the MCP 106 as streamed media content in step 412. Thisstep can be the result of a user of the PCD 116 desiring to transmit therecorded media content to another party actively engaged with the MCP106. For example, suppose the user of the PCD 116 is traveling abroadand desires to send a friend or family member video content capturedwith the PCD while touring popular sites. Said user can direct the PCD116 by way of its UI 304 to establish communications with the MCP 106over an IP connection of an ISP network nearest the user that canconnect to ISP network 132 and eventually the MCP 106 by way of theportal 230 or a direct link to the MCP via the gateway 104. The user ofthe PCD 116 can then communicate with a subscriber of the MCP 106 overan instant messaging application and inform said party that s/he will betransmitting streamed content of the tourist sites recorded by said userto the MCP.

The MCP 106 can respond to this transmission by presenting in step 414 aGraphical User Interface (GUI) superimposed on the images presented atthe media device 108 (e.g., a picture-in-picture presentation). Thisstep is illustrated in FIG. 5. Reference 502 can represent a canvas ofthe media device 108 for presenting media programs decoded from thecommunication system 100. GUI window 504 can be a pop-up window which isgenerated upon receiving streamed media content from the PCD 116.

Referring back to FIG. 4, in step 416 the MCP 106 can be programmed topause the media program presented in the canvas 502 to allow theconsumer to focus on the streamed media content presented in GUI window504 without distraction. To avoid missing a portion of the presentationof the media program, the MCP 106 can be programmed to record the mediaprogram from a point at which it was paused while the streamed contentis presented in step 420 in GUI window 504.

In step 422, the MCP 106 monitors for a discontinuation of the streamedmedia content. The discontinuation can be the result of the transmissionof the streamed media content ending when the recorded media content hasbeen fully played by the PCD 116. In another embodiment, adiscontinuation can result from the recipient of the streamed mediacontent closing the GUI window 504 by selecting the “X” with a commonmouse pointer managed by the media controller 107. When events such asthis are detected, the MCP 106 can proceed to step 424 and resumepresentation of the media program at the point from which it was paused.It should be noted that the subscriber can also direct the MCP 106 toresume presentation of the media program by selecting with the mediacontroller a play button presented as a toolbar 506 in the canvas 502.Accordingly, the subscriber of the MCP 106 can choose to view the mediaprogram while at the same time the MCP presents streamed content in GUIwindow 504.

FIG. 6 depicts another exemplary method 600 operating in portions of thecommunication system 100. Method 600 begins with step 602 in which theMCP 106 detects a recording event associated with recorded media contentderived from one among a plurality of media content sources. Forexample, one source of recorded media content can be a Video on Demand(VoD) catalog which the MCP 106 can access over the communication system100 to download media content requested by a subscriber of the MCP.Another source can be a scheduled recording of a media program by aDigital Video Recorder (DVR) managed by the MCP 106 (as an internalfunctional unit, or external device).

In step 604 the MCP 106 can be programmed to request presenceinformation of a subscriber of the MCP, and select in step 606 acommunication device (CD) 108 or 116 according to said presenceinformation. The presence information can for example identify acommunication device actively in use by the subscriber of the MCP 106.For illustration purposes only, the CD 116 will be referred to insubsequent steps of method 600. Once a CD has been selected, the MCP 106proceeds to step 608 where it retrieves a portion of the recorded mediacontent detected in step 602 and transcodes it in step 610 so that it isadapted to a format that is suitable for presentation at the CD 116. Theportion selected can be small but sufficient in duration to provide thesubscriber a preview of the recorded media content.

In step 612, the MCP 106 can generate a notice describing the recordingevent. The notice can for example include a title of the recorded mediacontent, its start time and/or duration. The notice can also include adescription of the recorded media content such as a story line orsynopsis, its genre, an identification of one or more contributors(e.g., actors, artists, directors, producers, etc.), and/or pricinginformation in cases where the media content is downloaded from acommercial source such as a VoD catalog. Once the notice has beengenerated, the MCP 106 can retrieve in step 614 contact informationassociated with the selected CD 116 from an address book managed by theMCP. With the contact information, the MCP 106 can transmit in step 616the notice with the portion of the recorded media content. The noticeand portion of media content can be transmitted as a message conformingto a multimedia messaging service protocol (also commonly referred to anMMS message).

Said notice and portion of recorded media content can serve to informthe subscriber of a select recording event. A message in the notice cansay for example, “An episode of ‘24’ has just been recorded by your DVR.Its duration is 50 minutes. You can preview the recording by selectingthe attached media file.” Another message might say, “The movie ‘Matrix’has been downloaded from the VoD catalog. You can preview a portion ofthe movie by selecting the attached media file.” Other more detailedmessages can be presented with information about the actors, directors,producers, related programs, and so on. Additionally, these principlescan be applied to audio-only content.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, method 400 can beadapted so that the MCP 106 is directed to record the streamed mediacontent received from the PCD 116. Said recording can be used by thesubscriber for subsequent viewings and/or for storing in thesubscriber's personal archive. The MCP 106 can also be adapted topresent the media program without a pause while simultaneously receivingthe streamed content from the PCD 116. Method 600 can be similarlyadapted so that the notice and the recorded portion of the media contentcan be transmitted in other mediums such as a Rich Site Summary (RSS)feed.

These are but a few examples of modifications that can be applied to thepresent disclosure without departing from the scope of the claims.Accordingly, the reader is directed to the claims section for a fullerunderstanding of the breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. In some embodiments, the machine operatesas a standalone device. In some embodiments, the machine may beconnected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor 702 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicate with each othervia a bus 708. The computer system 700 may further include a videodisplay unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, asolid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system700 may include an input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 714 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generationdevice 718 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 720.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a machine-readable medium 722 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 724)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 724may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within the processor 702during execution thereof by the computer system 700. The main memory 704and the processor 702 also may constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 724, or that which receives and executes instructions 724from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 726 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 726 using the instructions 724. Theinstructions 724 may further be transmitted or received over a network726 via the network interface device 720.

While the machine-readable medium 722 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape;and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives is considered a distributionmedium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of amachine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A media content processor, comprising: aprocessor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, facilitate performance of operations,comprising: detecting an event associated with recorded media contentderived from one of a plurality of media content sources; requesting,from a wireless network, presence information for a plurality ofcommunication devices of a subscriber of the media content processorresponsive to the event that is detected; receiving, from the wirelessnetwork, the presence information for the plurality of communicationdevices; identifying, from the plurality of communication devices, aportable communication device according to the presence information thatis received, wherein the presence information indicates that theportable communication device is in active communication with thewireless network; retrieving a portion of the recorded media content;transcoding the portion of the recorded media content according tocharacteristics of the portable communication device; generating anotice describing the event; retrieving, from an address book, contactinformation associated with the portable communication device, whereinthe contact information conforms to a multimedia messaging serviceprotocol; transmitting, via the wireless network and according to themultimedia messaging service protocol, the notice with the portion ofthe recorded media content to the portable communication device that isidentified; receiving instructions from a portal to stream the recordedmedia content to the portable communication device; and streaming therecorded media content to the portable communication device, wherein themedia content processor is located within a premises and the portablecommunication device is located remote to the premises.
 2. The mediacontent processor of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media contentsources comprises a video on demand catalog.
 3. The media contentprocessor of claim 1, wherein the event corresponds to a recording ofmedia content from one of the plurality of media content sources andwherein the processor comprises a group of processors operating in adistributed processing environment.
 4. The media content processor ofclaim 1, wherein the recorded media content comprises one of audiocontent, video content, and combinations thereof.
 5. The media contentprocessor of claim 1, wherein the notice and the portion of the recordedmedia content are transmitted in a message conforming to a multimediamessaging service protocol.
 6. The media content processor of claim 1,wherein the notice comprises one of a title of the recorded mediacontent, a start time of the recorded media content, a duration of therecorded media content, a description of the recorded media content, agenre of the recorded media content, an identification of a contributorof the recorded media content, pricing information, and combinationsthereof.
 7. The media content processor of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise transcoding the portion of the recordedmedia content for presentation at the portable communication device. 8.The media content processor of claim 1, wherein the presence informationindicates that the portable communication device has been handed overfrom a first base station to a second base station.
 9. The media contentprocessor of claim 1, wherein the transcoding causes the portion of therecorded media content to be adapted to a format suitable forpresentation at the portable communication device.
 10. A non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructionsthat, responsive to being executed by a processor, facilitateperformance of operations, comprising: requesting presence informationfor a subscriber to a media content provider; receiving, from a wirelessnetwork, the presence information for a plurality of communicationdevices of the subscriber; identifying, from the plurality ofcommunication devices, a communication device of the subscriberaccording to the presence information that is received, wherein thepresence information indicates that the communication device is inactive communication with the wireless network; generating a noticedescribing recorded media content based on media content that isreceived from the media content provider; retrieving, from an addressbook, contact information associated with the communication device,wherein the contact information conforms to a multimedia messagingservice protocol; transmitting, via the wireless network, the notice anda portion of the recorded media content to the communication device thatis identified according to the multimedia messaging service protocol;receiving instructions from a portal to stream the recorded mediacontent to the communication device; and streaming the recorded mediacontent to the communication device, wherein the processor is locatedwithin a premises and the communication device is located remote to thepremises.
 11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 10, wherein the operations further comprise detecting an eventassociated with the recorded media content.
 12. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the notice and theportion of the recorded media content are transmitted in a messageconforming to a multimedia messaging service protocol.
 13. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein thenotice comprises one of a title of the recorded media content, a starttime of the recorded media content, a duration of the recorded mediacontent, a description of the recorded media content, a genre of therecorded media content, an identification of a contributor of therecorded media content, pricing information, or combinations thereof.14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10,wherein the operations further comprise transcoding the recorded mediacontent for presentation at the communication device that is identified.15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10,wherein the media content provider comprises a video on demand catalog,and wherein the processor comprises a group of processors operating in adistributed processing environment.
 16. A method, comprising: selecting,by a system comprising a processor, a communication device associatedwith a subscriber of a media content source, wherein the communicationdevice is selected according to presence information associating thesubscriber to the communication device responsive to a recording eventassociated with media content, wherein the presence informationindicates that the communication device is in active communication witha wireless network; transcoding, by the system, a recording of the mediacontent according to a capability of the communication device togenerate transcoded content; retrieving, from an address book, contactinformation associated with the communication device, wherein thecontact information conforms to a multimedia messaging service protocol;transmitting, by the system via the wireless network, a notice and thetranscoded content to the communication device according to themultimedia messaging service protocol; receiving instructions from aportal to stream the recorded media content to the communication device;and streaming the recorded media content to the communication device,wherein the processor is located within a premises and the communicationdevice is located remote to the premises.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the notice and the transcoded content are transmitted in amessage conforming to a multimedia messaging service protocol.